Dean Pomerleau Posted November 8, 2015 Report Share Posted November 8, 2015 I seem to be a glutton for punishment, refusing to learn my lesson about the possibility of losing drafts of post to these forums, which can be quite frustrating, particularly if the post is a long one. And I know I'm not alone in having lost posts by having accidentally hitting the 'back' button or some other mistake in my browser while composing a message. Good news! I finally figured out how to exploit the "auto save" feature that I could see existed, and which I've highlighted in this (interestingly recursive) screen capture (click to enlarge): If you lose the text of a post through some sort of human error, simply start composing another post. In the new (initially empty) posting window, simply click on the "View Auto Saved Content" location at the bottom of the compose window, which is highlighted in the above screenshot, and it will pop up a window of what's been most recently autosaved. It will give you the option of restoring the autosaved content, and voila - you've got (at least most of) your post back. [Note - I believe as Zeta points out, that this only works if you are using the regular (or full) editor to compose your message, not the quick "reply to this topic" box at the bottom of each thread. If you start composing a message in the "reply to this topic" box, and want to make sure you have the ability to recover your work, click the "more reply options" button to switch to the full editor.] [Note 2 - If the "View Auto Saved Content" doesn't show up because you've been drafting your post in the "Quick Reply" window at the bottom of the page, simply start recomposing your message in the quick reply window and then hit "More reply options" to switch to the full editor. A short time later (in the full editor) the "View Auto Saved Content" option (or sometimes "Last Auto saved: " option) should show up. Click on it and you should be able to recover your lost draft] I just can't believe I didn't try that before... It would have saved me a lot of time and effort. Live and learn... --Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeta Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 Thanks, Dean. I noticed that recently too. The key is not to get too far in the new message window before clicking on "View Auto Saved Content", since shortly after you start typing in the new window, the older auto-saved content will (presumably) be replaced with the stuff you just started typing in the new window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Scott Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I never see that "Last auto save" text at the bottom of the compose window. There is text "Attach Files" with a button "Choose Files" in that region. Is there some setting that enables the autosave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Pomerleau Posted November 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I never see that "Last auto save" text at the bottom of the compose window. There is text "Attach Files" with a button "Choose Files" in that region.Is there some setting that enables the autosave?Did you look at the exact location highlighted in the screenshot I included in my post above? If it is not their for you, it may have to do with your browser or platform. IIRC, you are running Windows 7, suggesting your computer might be somewhat out of date... Also, I don't see the "Last auto save" at the moment, because I'm composing this message on my Android tablet under Google Chrome for Android, which apparently doesn't support whatever browser magic makes the auto-saving possible. In short, apparently your mileage may vary... --Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Scott Posted November 11, 2015 Report Share Posted November 11, 2015 I never see that "Last auto save" text at the bottom of the compose window. There is text "Attach Files" with a button "Choose Files" in that region.Is there some setting that enables the autosave?Did you look at the exact location highlighted in the screenshot I included in my post above? If it is not their for you, it may have to do with your browser or platform. IIRC, you are running Windows 7, suggesting your computer might be somewhat out of date... I keep a Windows computer around for running tax software and for occasions where I need to try something like the CRON-O-Meter desktop app. My daily usage PC since the 1990s has been running Linux. Dean wrote: Also, I don't see the "Last auto save" at the moment, because I'm composing this message on my Android tablet under Google Chrome for Android, which apparently doesn't support whatever browser magic makes the auto-saving possible. In short, apparently your mileage may vary... That's likely it Dean, since I am running Chrome on Linux. Not a big deal for me, since I usually do composition in an editor (Emacs) and paste the result into the Chrome composition window. Thanks for letting me know it isn't a setting I've failed to notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeta Posted November 26, 2015 Report Share Posted November 26, 2015 Wow. This just saved me a lot time.... Thanks, Dean! Note: I think one has to click on "More Reply Options", and not use the quick post thingie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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